Extension-table call-bell



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

No Model") -J. E. JOHNSON.

EXTENSION TABLE CALL BELL.

Patented Mar. 1, 1887.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. E. JOHNSON. EXTENSION TABLE GALL BELL.

N0. 358, 614. Patented Mar. 1, 1887.

Lave/n2 4 %M% 67m Nirnn TABS Pn'rhNr rricn.

JOHN EDWVARD JOHNSON, OF NEWARK, NEW J ERSEY.

EXTENSION-TABLE CALL-BELL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 358,614-, datedIri'aroh 1; 1887.

(No model) To aZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that l, JOHN EDWARD JOHNSON, a subject of the King ofSweden, residing at Newark, Essex county, New Jersey, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Extension-Table Gall-Bells, fullydescribed and represented in the following specification and theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

The obj ect of this invention is to connect a movable dining or librarytable detachably with a bell outside of the apartment by elec tricalconnections through the floor of the room, the construction permittingthe table when not in use to be moved to any part of the room, forsweeping the floor or removing the carpet.

The invention also includes means for applying a push-button to eitheror both ends of an extension dining-table by electrical connectionsadapted to operate upon the sliding bars of the extension-frame, whetherclosed or extended.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of an extension dining tableinverted and extended, with .four leaves inserted. Fig. 2 is averticalsection of thetable on line w 00 in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionupon a larger scale of the floor-bushing and cable-plug. Fig.4 is aplanof the same. the plug '5. Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the extensionbarsof a table provided with Sliding electrical connections, and Fig. 7 isan edge view of the same.

a to represent the end legs, and a the middle legs,of anextension-table, to which the invention is shown applied.

1) b is the top of the table, exclusive of the extension-leaves c. ddare the sliding extensioirbars, which are secured to the top I) b and toa tiepiece, If, to which the center lcgs,a, are aflixed. Theconstruction for sliding such bars upon one another and retaining themtogether is already well known and is not shown herein.

The table is represented upon a floor, f, having an opening, g, providedwith a bushing, h, in which a tapering hole is formed to fit a removableplug, 2'. The plug is provided at the top with a ring, 9', to withdrawit from. the hole when desired, and is formed in its sides with oppositegrooves, 75, adapted to receive the ter- Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofminals Z of an electric circuit, the ends of the terminal wires beingbent to fit within holes in the sides of the plug, as shown in Figs. 3and 5.

The electric conductors furnishing the terminals are preferablyconnected with the alarmbell B by a duplex cable, 2, which is formedbeneath the floor, with sufficient slack to permit the withdrawing ofthe plug from theb ush h and the pulling of the cable through the bushto attach the terminals to the table.

In Fig. 2 binding-posts e e are shown upon the tie-piece Nwith suchterminals attached thereto by withdrawing the plug from the bush h andpulling the cable up to the bindingposts. The feet of the binding-postare shown in the drawings connected in like manner with the ends ofwires 0, which are extended to pushbuttons m m at each end of the table.These wires or conductors are preferably made of very fine strands offlexible metal, and are sustained upon the under sides of the bars (1 bytacking them thereto at intervals, as at n. s The extension-bars areshown drawn out in Figs. 1 and 2, with the wires extended in likemanner, and it is obvious that when the bars were pushed in, upon theremoval of the table-leaves c, the flexible connections 0 would hangdown slightly between the tacks a, but not sufiiciently to be visiblefrom the exterior of the table.

By using the small duplex cable commonly employed fortelephone-receivcrs, each pushbutton may be independently connected withthe posts 0 e, so as to separately close the circuit to the alarm-belll3.

\Vith the construction described, it is only necessary,when the tablerequires moving from its normal position to sweep the floor or removethe carpet, to detach the terminals Zfrom the posts 6, to apply theterminals to the sides of the plug 2', and to then push the cable Zthrough the iloor and insert the plug in the bush h to retain theterminals until again re quired.

It is obvious that sufficient slack may be provided in the cable Zbeneath the floor to permit the moving of the table more or less aroundthe bush II, as the binding-posts would then operate to withdraw thecable from the bush when the table was moved.

An alternative construction for the connections is shown in Figs. 6and7, in which the terminals Z are applied directly to posts upon the barsd d, and the conductor along the bars is formed of two series ofstationary wires, with links adapted to slide thereon. By thisconstruction the cable Z hangs from the bars to the floor and permits avery free movement of the table in the vicinity of the bush h. Theconnections on the bars are formed by attaching longitudinal wires 3rigidly at each endto the bars, as at s, with the intermediate portion asufficient distance from the bar for a link, 25, to slide thereon,thelink being affixed to one of the wires or applied loosely to both, asmay be preferred.

Abindingpost, u, is attached to one end of each opposite series of wiresupon the bars d d, and the opposite ends of the wires are connected byconductors v with a push-button, m", which completes the circuit alongthe opposed sets of bars and through the terminals Z and cable Z in thedesired manner.

Having thus described my invention, it will be seen that it affords themeans of maintaining the electrical connections with the floor along theextension-bars d d, and that it requires no adjustment to operatesuccessfully when the table is pushed in or extended in the ordinarymanner. It also affords a connection by'which the table may be movedwithin certain limits around the point of connection in the floor, and ameans for quickly detaching the connections from the table and buryingthem in the floor when the carpet requires cleaning or removal.

To avoid the loss or mislaying of the plug 2' when the cable Z is drawnthrough the bush, a notch may be made in the side of the plug, as at kin Fig. 4, for the cable to pass through, and the plug may thus beretained in the bush until it is required to hold the terminals Z, asshown in Fig. 3.

Having thus set forth my invention, what I claim herein is 1. Thecombination, with a movable table, of a push-button affixed to the same,electrical connections attached to the same and to the under side of thetabletop, and a flexible connection suspended from the under side of thetable to the floor and extended through the same to connect with anelectric circuit and alarm-bell, substantially as shown and described.

2. The combination, with the movable table,

. of a push-button and electrical connections provided withbinding-posts aflixed thereon, an aperture through the floor sustainingthe table, and an electrical cable connected with an electric circuitand alarm-bell and movable through such floor-aperture to connect itsterminals with the said binding-posts and push-button, substantially asshown and described.

3. The combination, with a movable table having a push-button,electrical connections, and bindingposts thereon, of an aperture in thefloor and a duplex cable connected with a bell and electric circuit, andmovable through such floor-aperture to permit its attachment to thebinding-posts and the movement of the table about such aperture,substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with a movable table having a push-button,electrical connections,

and binding-posts thereon, of an aperture in the floor provided with atapering hole and a removable plug fitted to such hole and adapted toretain the terminals of two electric conductors therein when not in use,substantially as shown and described.

5. The means for sustaining the electric terminals when detached fromthe table, con sisting in the floor-bush h, provided with tapering hole,and the plug 45, provided with means for drawing it from the hole, andformed with grooves 7c andlholes k, to retain the terminals therein,substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination, with an extension dining-table, of a push-button andelectric conductors connected therewith and secured upon the bars (I d,and adapted to maintain their electric connections with an externalcircuit, and with the push-button, when the bars are pushed in orextended, substantially as herein set forth.

7. The combination, with an extension dining-table, of an electriccircuit and bell connected by wires through the floor with the underside of the table, separate push-buttons at opposite ends or sides ofthe table, and sep arate conductors arranged, substantially asdescribed, for forming an independent circuit upon the table from eachpush-button to the alarm-bell, substantially as shown and described.

, 8. The combination, with an extension dining-table having bars at d,of a push-button located thereon, electric connections extended from analarn1-bell and an electric circuit to the under side of the table, thewires, 3 affixed upon the extension bars d d, and the links 2,connecting such wires and adapted to slide thereon, the whole beingarranged and operated substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOHN EDWVARD JOHNSON.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY J. MILLER, HENRY J. THEBERATH.

IIC

